Chinese contractor ‘ill-treating workers’
Sunday, 08 May 2011 17:49
BY JENNIFER DUBE
WORKERS at a local construction company in Harare are up in arms against
their Chinese employer whom they accuse of ill-treating them.
Shanxi Corporation workers are accusing their employer of charging them
exorbitant rentals for sub-standard company accommodation.
“There are between 40 and 50 resident workers at the company’s headquarters
in Whitecliffe,” one worker said. “A married employee is given one room for
use with his family while two or three singles share one room.
The worker added, “Our employer deducts US$15 from each employee as rent for
the houses which are made of wooden blocks and are in very bad condition as
they do not have enough space for occupants and some are cracked while
others are shaking.”
The workers said when their employer started deducting the rentals a month
ago; he claimed it was for repair work on the sewer system which had been
blocked for a long time.
They said they had been without running water since February this year while
the toilets remained blocked despite the fact that the company was deducting
money from the workers’ salaries to rectify the problem.
“This is not the first time that our money has been deducted but not used
for our benefit,” said another worker. “All along, the employer has been
deducting pension and some National Social Security Authority (NSSA) money
from our earnings but when we inquired with the relevant authorities, we
were told that there was no record of the company or its workers.”
The workers also complained of poor pay. Professionals like mechanics
andplumbers were getting a general hand wage of US94 cents per hour, paid in
fractions, they claimed.
They said those assigned duties out of Harare were not given any allowances
despite working outside normal hours.
“We also do not have protectiveclothing,” another employee said. “You can
find someone moulding bricks in their own slippers or shoes.”
The workers have requested protective clothing such as overalls, helmets,
gloves and safety shoes, among other things, but to no avail.
At one time, the workers weresaid to have been supplied with stale
mealie-meal after labour organisations recommended a US$1 per day lunch
allowance.
Another recommendation that each worker be given 1kg soap per month was
being implemented piecemeal, with each worker getting a small piece of bar
soap, they claimed.
“Our government should protect us against such abuse because if we complain,
we are threatened with being fired or simply told to leave,” another
employee said.
“Are there no laws to protect vulnerable people in this country?” he wanted
to know.
Elson Madhombiro, a manager at the company, refused to comment referring all
questions to a human resources officer Rumbi Sakabuya.
Sakabuya said she would prefer to discuss the matter in a meeting but was
not in the office when The Standard visited the company offices.
The National Union of Quarry Workers of Zimbabwe early this year accused
Chinese employers at Ngezi Mine in Zvishavane of allegedly ill-treating and
underpaying their workers.
Union leader Onias Munenga said: “Chinese miners are not abiding by the
country’s labour laws.
Last year, government said it was probing Chinese companies for ill-treating
workers and violating health and safety regulations.”